By Dave Hughes, DCRTV.com

Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will start "an exclusive content-development partnership" with PressBox, along with the launch of its long-anticipated CSNbaltimore.com Web site July 20.

PressBox’s stable of local writers will contribute to the new Baltimore sports news Web site, including publisher Stan Charles along with Joe Platania and Pete Kerzel. PressBox’s wide-ranging regional sports media operation includes PressBox, a monthly sports newspaper, PressBoxOnline.com, multiple television and radio shows and special events.

CSNbaltimore.com will feature breaking sports news, feature articles, game stories and blogs. The site will provide exclusive content dedicated to Baltimore-area sports, highlighted by coverage of the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Orioles and the University of Maryland Terrapins.

"This is a great day for PressBox," said Charles. "We will be producing a solid percentage of their online content on an exclusive basis." The CSN deal has shown PressBox is "a real, reputable content provider," he added. "We have award-winning baseball and football coverage."

CSN Mid-Atlantic, based in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, used to carry the Orioles, now carried by its chief local regional reports network rival, the Baltimore-based Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

Jim Williams, a sports media columnist for the Examiner newspaper, said CSN's launch of the Baltimore sports news Web site is a reaction to the perception by some viewers that CSN doesn't have enough "roots" in the Baltimore market. It has "undervalued" the Baltimore market, another local media source contended.

CSN launched a similar sports news Web site for the Washington area, CSNwashington.com, in July 2009.

"Baltimore is a great sports market with deep traditions and passionate fans," said CSN senior vice president and general manager Rebecca Schulte. "We are excited to launch a new digital platform dedicated exclusively to Baltimore-area teams and sports.

“With our region-wide resources, we deliver a high-quality, content-rich online sports destination for all Baltimore fans. The continued evolution of our digital media, along with our extensive television programming, allows us to deliver meaningful local around-the-clock sports coverage."

Newly-hired CSNbaltimore.com lead writer John Eisenberg will serve as the site’s "Ravens Insider," while also contributing to its coverage of the Orioles and other local teams. Eisenberg is an award-winning former columnist for the Baltimore Sun who spent nearly three decades covering sports for major daily newspapers.

CSN's television news operation will feed CSNbaltimore.com’s video content, largely produced from the network’s bureau in Baltimore, and feature reports from CSN correspondent Brent Harris. A Baltimore native and lifelong resident of the area, Harris has been covering the area’s sports scene for CSN the past six years and previously worked for other stations in the market.

Like CSNwashington.com, CSNbaltimore.com will include top local team pages, local college and high school coverage, national sports stories, real-time scores and schedules, and "Word On The Street," a section devoted to the latest rumors and developing reports, according to CSN.

The site’s interactive features include "Piece Of The Action" fan photo-sharing, reader comments, social media portals and a fantasy sports page, all areas dedicated to fan participation and opinion.

Charles said while his PressBox content will be exclusive to CSN, his local sports news organization will continue its independent media platforms which include partnerships with CBS Radio's ESPN 1300; Channel 2/WMAR, which airs a weekly TV show, Inside PressBox; and Fox 1370, where Charles does a Monday-Friday, 12-1 p.m. sports radio talk show.

Posted July 15, 2010